For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 06, 2025

Hey, you helped pay for that kids college.

I’ve been to Puerto Vallarta before… Yes, there’s lots of people selling silver jewelry everywhere. You just have to make sure that there’s “925“ stamped on the inside.

I wonder if that stuff is “hot”.

Is the only reason they went to Mexico the beach? There are nice beaches in the US—and maybe in Canada, too!

Anyway, John is having a good time. Elly—I’m not so sure.

That’s not nice, Elly. They struggle to make money to feed their families. You are rich compared to her. Pay the full and asking price.

They really do that on the beach. Some are pushy as well.

I had a very effective way of driving them off and leaving me in peace. I conveniently forgot I speak English and Spanish, and I spoke only in Bokmål Norwegian. Word spread that they couldn’t communicate with me. It was fun to teach the 17 yr old girl with me a few phrases to keep her unbothered as well. (She wanted to hit the beach, the parents wanted to take a tour, and I overheard them and offered to take her with me. That’s when the captain walked up to tell them that I was reliable, spoke the language, and would not miss the ship as my birthday was in a day. That sealed it. I swear, Capt. Huus knew everything on his ship.)

Like the Gucci watch I bought that stopped working the minute we crossed the Border?

Resorts rope off their beach areas so the local vendors can’t bother the guests.

I always regret not buying the photograph of myself with green viper snakes wrapped around my head and shoulders that was offered to me in Malaysia. Strangely enough, the photographer was not willing to bargain. I’m still alive.

Now, Elle, watch every body part that the jewelry touches turns green ! ! ! !

My wife was really good at such bargaining. She managed to get a 90% price cut. When I was 18, I was in Tijuana. My aunt teased me. She said "now Bobby, watch out for the women who walk up to you and say “two dollah, two dollah”.

Another thing they do is offer to etch your name on a grain of rice…

Yes! And most all of our beaches have much less sewer water!

As her finger turns green… YUCK!

Lynn’s not wrong. Holding out can be an effective negotiation tactic.

I think Elly is enjoying herself. When I went to the Dominican Republic, some of the beach vendors had some very pretty stuff at very reasonable prices.

Although I have lived here in Ecuador for many years, am fluent in Spanish, and am not afraid to haggle, most of the time when we travel and shop in the mercados or open markets, I let my Ecuadoran bride of over a dozen years do all the bargaining. I often pretend we’re not together. If the seller sees me, they automatically raise the price because they think all gríngos are rich and can afford to pay higher prices.

Like it or not, there’s always a local price and a tourist price.

Besides, my First Maite enjoys the art of the haggle and has a good eye for a bargain.

And no tariff…

And they cost the guy 5 cents each from the gumball machine.

My wife, from Korea, is a born haggler that gets a good bargain. That’s not my forte.

That silver vendor would have been out of luck with me. I’ve never brought my wallet to the beach, and of all the things to remember to bring to the seashore, I’ve never thought “Gee, I should bring some money along with me because maybe there will be people selling stuff.”

The whole lot cost $0.75 dollars with shipping. A good salesman can sell freezers to eskimos in a blizzard, something Ellie should be familiar with.

tODAY IS “nATIONAL dENTIST dAY”.cELEBRATE BY AVOIDING THEM

But Mexican beaches lack MAGA contamination

Flea markets are a Mexican specialty. DENNIS THE MENACE IN MEXICO—-a 1960’s comic book.Dennis’ father bought a ceremonial sword for 60 bucks from a vendor who apparently spoke onlY sPANISH.

As soon as the sale was complete,the vendor said “Lissen,Bud,never pay the first price.Always beat it down” in perfect English.

He’ll be back in 2 minutes to ask you to buy another one

Elly is getting good at something else besides living in the past, or screaming about how she has an awful family.

As the late, great Van McCoy said, Do The Hustle!

Next she’ll be getting good at barhopping.

Stay at the right all inclusive and the constant sales stuff goes away, of course I think what we are seeing here is a 70’s to 80’s viewpoint drawn in the 1990’s, just sayin! Any day in the Caribbean is good, Pacific Coast good too !

I was in Mombasa, Kenya. We were warned we would need to negotiate with the venders. I don’t remember what I was buying but I lowballed the price. The vendor looked shocked “Sir if I accept that price my children will starve!” He looked appropriately aggrieved. So I said “Well if I pay what you’re asking MY children will starve!” He laughed, so did I and he made an offer that I thought sounded reasonable, so I bought whatever it was. It was fun, once I got used to it. Until I walked into a store and tried that technique. The store owner got very angry and told me to get out of his store. A local woman in the store shopping explained to me that bartering only applied to street vendors. I apologized profusely and bought two dashikis. I do not remember the price – I still have them somewhere. When I was discharged and left the ship I was stationed on I was wearing one of those dashikis and jeans. I wore it to the airport in Boston and on the plane. I was also carrying a water buffalo hide shield and two lion spears, disassembled and wrapped in Kraft paper. Certainly can’t do that anymore. Unfortunately, I can no longer fit into the dashikis.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

What is John really looking at in the last panel?:

1. John is not looking at Elly’s cheap jewellery, but is looking at where his drink fell off the wobbly table onto the sand. Notice that the drink John is drinking in Panel 1 is nowhere to be seen.

2. John has grown so much since the first panel that he is about to fall off the chair.

3. John has noticed that Elly’s shows more cleavage in every panel and he is looking to see if Elly is going to fall out of her suit.

4. John noticed Elly’s neck stretch in the prior panel and he is checking to see if she is actually Plastic Man.